I was disgusted and disappointed by the comments that piled up — and piled on — following our online publication of Steve Gevinson's OPRF commencement speech. Fortunately, I had time to compose myself before composing my reaction — something the vast majority of online commentators failed to do.

Last Thursday — as lovely a day as life can offer — I attended a funeral in the morning and a wake in the evening, which has a way — like the prospect of being hanged in a fortnight — of concentrating the mind on matters that matter: life and death.

A comment from an overheard conversation led to a poem which led to a commissioned musical setting, which led to a fundraising concert at Unity Temple this Sunday evening, which is titled, "Music of the Universe," which was the overheard phrase that started it all.

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness. With sadness there is something to rub against, a wound to tend with lotion and cloth. When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up, something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.—Naomi Shihab Nye

When you're seven years shy of your centennial, revitalization represents an ongoing challenge. No one knows that better than the Oak Park Art League, which is undergoing another in a long series of revivals, dating back to 1921.

Among the many comments posted online this past week following my column naming the Republican Party as the "problem that causes so many problems," I most enjoyed the one from "OP Resident #545 from Oak Park," who wrote: "While I dislike getting too personal, this drivel [right-wingers love the word "drivel"] explains clearly why the author hasn't risen above this station in his career … [He] is in no way as smart as he'd like to think he is."

Find your place with us. We are a church for the whole family with a special ministry for children. Hear relevant messages from God's Word to help you live with meaning and purpose. We are New Life Community Church Join us Sundays at 11:30am...